Colts Owner Jim Irsay on Bill Polian: "I am proud to call him a Colt"

Earlier today, former Colts general manager Bill Polian was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2015.  It's an incredibly well-deserved recognition for a man considered by many to be the greatest executive in NFL history, and Colts' owner and CEO Jim Irsay put out a statement tonight congratulating Polian for the great recognition.

"I am thrilled with Bill Polian's well-deserved induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame," said Irsay.  "Bill's career has been remarkable and he has had an incredible impact on our league. My relationship with Bill goes back to when we were both general managers and worked together and with others to create the League's salary cap. Aside from being a great executive, Bill had the innate ability to evaluate and look at a player and identify greatness. To me, that was his greatest talent and what set him apart from everyone else. Bill's dedication to the NFL and to the Colts will always be remembered. I am proud to call him a Colt, and congratulate him on this great achievement."

Irsay wasn't the only one congratulating Polian.  Former head coach Tony Dungy, who himself was a finalist for the Hall of Fame this year but missed the cut, and current Colts linebacker Robert Mathis, who was drafted by Polian years ago, took to twitter to congratulate him.

So happy for Bill Polian on his Hall of Fame induction. He was a great mentor and a great talent evaluator.

— Tony Dungy (@TonyDungy) February 1, 2015

1st domino of the juggernaut has fallen, blueprinted by the man #BillPolian the next 5-10 will be exciting bc a lot of Colts will be HOFers!

— ROBERT MATHIS The1st (@RobertMathis98) February 1, 2015

Furthermore, both Bills' legend Jim Kelly and Colts' legend Peyton Manning were on hand to congratulate their former general manager.

Bill Polian, 2015 Hall of Famer, flanked just now by his two franchise QBs, Jim Kelly & Peyton Manning pic.twitter.com/dKSQWBUQVJ

— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) February 1, 2015

With all the talk about Marvin Harrison getting snubbed, it's also important to remember that Bill Polian is absolutely deserving of this Hall of Fame recognition.  A big congrats to one of the greatest executives in football history, Bill Polian, for getting elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2015.